North American Harvard Mk.IIB FT442 of No.5 (P)AFU crashed on Shining Tor 30th November 1944

Julius Sofranko

Sergeant (Czech)

Pilot

Killed

On the 30th November 1944, Sergeant Julius Sofranko, a Czechoslovakian who had joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve, took off from RAF Ternhill piloting Harvard FT442 on a solo cross country training flight. After being in the air for over two hours, Sgt Sofranko was flying West back towards the base through dense cloud when at approximately 4.00pm he flew into the Eastern slope of Shining Tor and was killed. It appears that while flying in the cloud Sgt Sofranko had flown off course and then descended before he was clear of high ground.

Sgt Sofranko was buried at Oxford (Botley) Cemetery.Above is the crash site of FT442 on the eastern side of Shining Tor.